Liberation of Paris : How Eisenhower, De Gaulle, and Von Choltitz Saved the City of Light (9781501164941)

by Smith, Jean Edward

  On the evening of August 24, with Allied forces approaching, von Choltitz hosted a farewell dinner at the Meurice for his staff. They were in a private dining room overlooking the Rue de Rivoli, the dress was formal, and the niceties were all in place. Von Choltitz was joined by his deputy Hans Jay; his chief of staff Friedrich von Unger; his aide Dankwart von Arnim; two ordnance officers; and his two secretaries Cita Krebben and Hildegarde Grün. The food was superb and the champagne was plentiful. The principal item of conversation was the Saint Bartholomew’s Day massacre—the massacre of French Protestants—which had occurred in Paris on August 24, 1572, exactly 372 years earlier.

  Von Choltitz was also plunged in thought. “I had the heavy feeling that our ancestors did not have to face such conflicts and did not face such isolation. I knew my own wife and children were threatened by a regime that could deprive them of their freedom or take their lives. On the other side there were hundreds of thousands of women and children to be protected. The seriousness of the hour was immense.”28

  Suddenly the bells of Paris began to ring. They had not rung for four years. The sound was breathtaking. Cita Krebben turned to von Choltitz and asked why the bells were ringing. “What does that mean?”

  “They are ringing because the Allies have arrived in Paris,” von Choltitz said. “Why else do you suppose they would be ringing?”

  Von Choltitz’s officers seemed shocked. He steadied them. “What else did you expect? You’ve been sitting here in your own dream world for four years. What do you know about this war? You’ve seen nothing but your own pleasant life in Paris. You haven’t seen what’s happened to Germany in Russia and Normandy. Gentlemen, Germany has lost this war, and we have lost it with her.”29

  The dinner broke up. Von Choltitz returned to his office and placed a call to Army Group B. Unger, who checked with the staff outside, confirmed that a vanguard of the Allies had arrived in the city and that the main body would come in the morning. Speidel soon answered the phone at Model’s headquarters.

  “Good evening, Speidel,” said von Choltitz. He then took the phone out onto his balcony, where the sound of the bells was loudest. “Do you hear that?”

  “Yes, I hear bells ringing,” said Speidel.

  “Correct. The American-French army is moving into the city.”

  After a long pause, von Choltitz asked Speidel for orders. Speidel declined. “You know I am not allowed to give orders.” Von Choltitz then asked to speak with Field Marshal Model. Model had been on a phone extension listening to the conversation but shook his head. He did not wish to speak to von Choltitz. Speidel then said that Model had no orders to give.

  “Well then, dear Speidel, I can only say adieu. Look after my wife in Baden-Baden and protect her and the children.”

  “Yes, we will do that. We promise, General.”30

  So ended the German occupation of Paris. Von Choltitz would surrender to Leclerc the next day. Against all odds he had kept Paris intact. It was not the field of ruins Hitler had ordered. Field Marshal Walther Model also deserves some credit. From the time of his arrival from the Russian front to succeed Kluge, he knew that Paris could not be defended and so he concentrated on regrouping German armies to the east. He did not encourage von Choltitz, but he knew what von Choltitz was doing and allowed him to do so.

  Before von Choltitz went to bed that evening, he received a visit from the young officer he had met before the war on the Mulde—the officer sent by Berlin to destroy Paris’s bridges, Captain Werner Ebernach. Like von Choltitz, Ebernach had heard the bells and understood their meaning. He did not wish to go into an Allied prison as a POW, or to take his men with him. He told von Choltitz his job was over, the bridges had been prepared for destruction, and did von Choltitz have any more assignments for him?

  “No, Ebernach, I have no further orders for you,” said von Choltitz.

  Ebernach then asked if his unit, which was part of the First German Army, could withdraw. He told von Choltitz he would leave behind a section of men to detonate the charges they had planted in the bridges.

  Von Choltitz was moved. “Ja, Ebernach,” he replied. “Take all your men and leave us.”31 It was a gift from Heaven. Without Ebernach’s men, Paris’s bridges could not be destroyed. Von Choltitz went to his room and went fast to sleep. Three hours later, the men of the 813th Pionierkompanie left Paris, crossing the bridges they had been sent to destroy.

  I. General Hans Speidel, who was chief of staff to Rommel, Kluge, and Model, remained in his position only for another week. He was then arrested for his role in the July 20 plot. An Army Court of Honor consisting of Field Marshal von Rundstedt, General Heinz Guderian, and Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel ruled that he should not be expelled from the German Army but tried by court-martial. He remained in army captivity until the end of the war, when he was released by the French. In postwar Germany, Speidel played an important role as military adviser to Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, was instrumental in the creation of the Bundeswehr, and as a four-star general (the first in the Bundeswehr) oversaw the integration of the Bundeswehr into NATO. He was appointed supreme commander of NATO Ground Forces in 1957 and held that position until his retirement in September 1963.

  II. Von Choltitz was originally placed in captivity with other German generals at Trent Park in England. When the war ended, they were transferred to Clinton, Mississippi, where they remained until released in 1947.

   IX

  Day of Liberation

  “One of the great days of all time.”

  —ERNIE PYLE, AUGUST 25, 1944

  Friday, August 25, was a perfect day. Not a cloud in the sky. Ironically, it was also the day of the Feast of Saint Louis, honoring the patron saint of France. Nothing could have been more appropriate. The German troops, under General Hubertus von Aulock, defending the approaches to Paris had retreated to join Field Marshal Model’s main force east of the city, and the historic gates were open. General Dietrich von Choltitz had deployed the remaining German forces—some fifteen thousand men—at strongpoints throughout the city, but not in the streets. They were to hold their position, but not attack. That meant that General Leclerc’s Second Armored Division and the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division could enter the city without a fight. As they did, they were welcomed by more than a million Parisians, as well dressed as they could manage after four years of occupation, and laden with wine and food for the celebration.

  The incoming troops initially headed directly toward the center of Paris. Colonel de Langlade’s forces moved into the city across the Pont de Sèvres and toward the Place de l’Étoile and down the Champs-Élysées. Colonel Billotte’s came through the southern Porte d’Italie toward the préfecture, just as Dronne had done the night before. The U.S. Fourth Infantry Division also came in through the Porte d’Italie but turned east at the Bastille heading for Vincennes and the eastern suburbs in pursuit of the retreating Germans. Leclerc entered the city about 7:45 a.m., met up with Chaban-Delmas at a restaurant, and proceeded to the préfecture. Later they would go to the Gare Montparnasse, which de Gaulle had told Leclerc would be their headquarters.

  Hitler was at it again early that morning, ordering that Paris be defended to the end, including its destruction as a final gesture. “The parts of the city that are in revolt must be destroyed.”1 Jodl sent the order to Model, who passed it along (without comment) to von Choltitz. Later that morning von Choltitz replied. He was covering his tracks. “I have ordered the bridges across the Seine on the eastern side of the city blown up, but destruction of the bridges in the city centre proved impossible because our own troops were south of the river. Our situation remains unchanged. Paris is burning in multiple locations. The enemy is attacking our positions with tanks. I have been asked to capitulate three times, and I have refused it each time.”2 The fact was no bridges in Paris had been destroyed, the city was not on fire, and the Allies were thus far avoiding the German strongpoints. Von Choltitz had indeed been asked to surrender three times: by Lec
lerc yesterday and again this morning, as well as another effort by Nordling and the Resistance. Each time von Choltitz refused, wanting to be involved in hostilities first.

  The mood in Paris that morning was unprecedented. As one GI said, “Fifteen solid miles of cheering, deliriously happy people waiting to shake your hand, to kiss you, to shower you with food and wine.” The military historian S. L.A. Marshall later acknowledged that sixty-seven bottles of champagne had been given to him that day.3 Jeeps and tanks were soon covered with flowers. They also soon became covered with what Thomas Wolf, a reporter for the Fourth Infantry Division, called “the most beautiful girls I had ever seen.”4 It was a love match like the world had never seen.

  But reality dawned quickly. The German strongpoints had to be neutralized. As Leclerc’s men moved toward the center of the city, the strongpoints loomed menacingly ahead. The most serious were the Palais du Luxembourg and the Prince Eugene barracks on the Place de la République. The Palais du Luxembourg, which was the prewar home of the French Senate, had been the headquarters of the Luftwaffe in France and was now the home of the Waffen SS. The SS, unlike the German military, were determined to fight to the end, and the possibility that they would destroy the Palais could not be ruled out. The Prince Eugene barracks on the Place de la République had been built by Napoléon III and could house more than three thousand troops. It was constructed like a fortress and was virtually impossible to penetrate. Other strongpoints included the École Militaire near the Eiffel Tower; the National Assembly on the Quai d’Orsay just across the Seine from the Meurice; the Kommandantur on the Place de l’Opéra; the Hôtel Majestic near the Arc de Triomphe, which had been the German army headquarters in France; and the Hôtel Crillon and the Navy Ministry on the Place de la Concorde. Both the Crillon and the Navy Ministry helped protect von Choltitz’s headquarters in the Meurice. The Germans were defending the center of Paris, and would have to be defeated.

  Parisians welcome troops liberating Paris

  It soon became clear that the best approach was to attack and capture von Choltitz and get him to order the surrender. The fighting on the Rue de Rivoli began about 1 p.m. Colonel Billotte divided his attacking force into two columns under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Jean de la Horie. The first, a tank company under Captain Jacques Branet, moved up the Rue de Rivoli. The second, an infantry company under Lieutenant Henri Karcher, moved under the arcade on the north side of the street. Meanwhile in the Meurice, von Choltitz and his staff were having lunch as usual. With shooting outside, Colonel Jay urged von Choltitz not to take his regular seat with his back to the window. “No,” said von Choltitz, “today of all days, I take my regular place.”5

  Gradually the French troops worked their way up the Rue de Rivoli to the Meurice. At 1:50, Corporal Helmut Mayer, von Choltitz’s orderly, walked discreetly over to von Choltitz and whispered in his ear—“Sie kommen, Herr General.” Von Choltitz finished his meal and then rose to address his staff. “Gentlemen, our last combat has begun. May God protect you all. And I hope the survivors fall into the hands of regular troops, and not those of the population.”6 With that he walked slowly out of the room. Below on the street the fighting was getting intense. The German defenders were holding firm, and the French tanks began their barrage. Back in his office, von Choltitz began a letter to Nordling thanking him for his efforts. At the same time a French tank turned its gun on the entrance to the hotel. “My God, what’s he going to do?” asked von Choltitz’s aide, Dankvort von Arnim. “He’s going to use it,” said von Choltitz. “There will be a little noise, and we’ll be in trouble.”7

  Von Choltitz also had made a decision. A few moments earlier his old friend Colonel Jay had told him he must make up his mind. “Are you going to sit here and play hide-and-seek with the Americans all day or are you going to surrender and get this damn business over with?”8 Now he had decided. He disliked causing his men to die in a hopeless cause. Von Choltitz called his chief of staff Friedrich von Unger to inform him. If the FFI were taking the Meurice, they would continue the fight, he said, but if regular troops came in, the building commander was to surrender after a few shots had been fired. He also told Unger to take down the flag when the Allies entered the building.

  Shortly after 2 p.m. the French forces made their way to the entrance of the Meurice. Lieutenant Karcher and his troops entered the building, and after a brief exchange of gunfire, the German commander ordered his men to cease firing. They raised their hands and became prisoners. “Where is your general?” asked Karcher.9 The way to von Choltitz’s office was pointed out, and Karcher moved on it.

  Von Choltitz waited for the French in a small room upstairs, along with his principal staff officers. They were all seated at a long table with their pistols in front of them on the table. Corporal Mayer again announced their arrival. “Sie kommen, Herr General.” They were led by Lieutenant Karcher. When they entered the room, Karcher asked, “Sprecken sie Deutsch?” (“Do you speak German?”) “Probably better than you do,” von Choltitz replied.10

  At that moment, Colonel Jean de la Horie came in and took charge. De la Horie saluted von Choltitz and asked, “General, are you ready to surrender?” Von Choltitz, returning the salute, said, “Yes, I’m ready.”11 Colonel de la Horie then told von Choltitz to follow him. He would take him to General Leclerc. They went down a back staircase at the Meurice to von Choltitz’s car but could not find the keys. Then they walked up from the cellar to the Rue Castiglione. Once in the street they were surrounded by Parisians who vented their hatred at von Choltitz. They turned onto the Rue de Rivoli, toward the French command’s armored vehicles, and the crowd became even more antagonistic. One of von Choltitz’s aides, Dr. Otto Kayser, who in peacetime was a professor of literature at the University of Cologne, was shot in the head and died instantly. Men shouted and women continued to spit on von Choltitz. Finally, a French Red Cross woman in uniform approached and walked next to von Choltitz as they made their way to the half-track that would take them to Leclerc’s headquarters at the préfecture. With her body she shielded von Choltitz from the crowd. When they reached the half-track for their journey to Leclerc, von Choltitz embraced the woman who had shielded him. “Madame, comme Jeanne d’Arc,” he said.12

  The journey to the préfecture was without incident. When he arrived, von Choltitz found himself guarded by the Paris police. He was escorted downstairs to the billiard room where Leclerc was waiting, along with Chaban-Delmas and Major General Raymond Barton, commander of the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division. As von Choltitz remembered, “A general stepped toward me, well-mannered, and with perfect soldierly demeanor said, ‘I am General Leclerc. You must be General von Choltitz. Why did you not accept my letter?’ ” Leclerc spoke in French. Von Choltitz answered in German. “I will not accept letters before the fight is over.”13 With the preliminaries dispensed with, Leclerc and von Choltitz sat down to go over the surrender document that the French had prepared paragraph by paragraph. The document contained reference to the strongpoints still fighting, and von Choltitz agreed to surrender them. “I accepted the responsibility for the end of hostilities and wanted to do this with a full conscience. My opinion was that a general when he sees the fight is hopeless does not sacrifice his men unnecessarily. I did not want the bases that were spread throughout the city to continue the fight after their leaders had surrendered.”14

  Generals von Choltitz, Leclerc, and Barton

  THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

  Act of Surrender concluded between the Divisional General Leclerc, commanding the French Forces of Paris and General von Choltitz, Military Commander of the German Forces in the Paris Region.

  All the articles here below apply to the units of the Wehrmacht throughout the command of General von Choltitz.

  (1) Immediate orders will be issued to the commanders of the strong-points to cease fire and fly the white flag: arms will be collected and troops will be mustered without arms in the open, there to awa
it orders. The arms will be intact.

  (2) The order of battle, including mobile units and depots of materials throughout the command, will be handed over. The depots will be handed over intact with their books.

  (3) A list of the destruction to works and depots.

  (4) As many German staff officers as there are strong-points or garrisons will be sent to General Leclerc’s headquarters.

  (5) The conditions in which the personnel of the Wehrmacht will be evacuated will be arranged by General Leclerc’s staff.

  (6) Once these articles have been signed and the orders transmitted, members of the Wehrmacht who continue to fight will no longer enjoy the protection of the laws of war.

  Paris, 25 August 1944.

  Von Choltitz questioned paragraph six. He told Leclerc that there might be some German toops passing through Paris on their way east who were not subject to his command and therefore not subject to the Act of Surrender. Leclerc understood. He added a sentence to paragraph six to remedy the problem: “Nevertheless, the case of any German soldiers in or crossing Paris who are not under the General’s command will be fairly examined.”15

  The meeting continued without hostility. Suddenly, Colonel Rol and his deputy Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont, who led the FFI in Paris, appeared and wanted to be included. Leclerc originally resisted, maintaining that a surrender document was only between soldiers, but Rol insisted. The surrender document must include the FFI, he said, and no cease-fire would be valid without his agreement. Charles Luizet, the Gaullist who was now heading the police department, convinced Leclerc to include Colonel Rol so the shooting could stop. Whatever political differences there were could be resolved later. Leclerc agreed and permitted Rol to sign the document. Rol actually signed his name above Leclerc’s, but it was an empty gesture. Both Leclerc and Rol signed on behalf of the French Provisional Government. There was also no mention of the Allies. The entire party then departed from the prefecture to drive to the Gare Montparnasse for the meeting with de Gaulle.